Top 25 Korean Films - No. 7

Poetry (Dir. Lee Chang-dong, 2010)

Lee Chang-dong’s most recent film is both his most widely acclaimed and most complex. Poetry deals with very dark social realities through the eyes of a sweet elderly woman who takes on a poetry hobby to take her mind of her worries. Electric in the lead is Yoon Jeong-hee, who came out of retirement especially for the role, and, once again, Lee worked off of his own script, which earned him a prize at Cannes.

Rich, organic, brimming with ideas and open to a number of interpretations, Poetry is a narrative work to be sure, but it also comes closer to a traditional interpretation of art than just about anything in Korean cinema. Despite the dark places it explores, the film’s greatest asset lies in its confirmation of our humanity, our ability to find beauty amid adversity and our will to carry on.

Intro - 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Top 10 Lists

Year   2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - All Time (Top 25)

Genre   Gangster - Revenge